From the 2026/27 school year, the nationwide legal entitlement to all-day care in elementary school will apply. For caterers, this means that the demand for reliable, healthy and efficiently organized lunchtime meals will increase significantly. However, the new requirements are also accompanied by major challenges – from logistics and billing to food waste. Digital solutions such as those from ParentPay Germany can help to simplify processes and create transparency.
Growing organizational effort
With more children in all-day care, the complexity for caterers increases considerably. Not only do significantly more portions have to be prepared, but different dietary requirements also have to be taken into account and last-minute cancellations have to be accommodated. Traditional processes quickly reach their limits here. Digital ordering systems can ease the burden by allowing parents to select menus online and view allergens. In this way, individual dietary requirements can be met – without surprises at the serving counter.
This also gives caterers a reliable basis for planning and avoids unnecessary overproduction. Attendance figures fluctuate greatly, especially at open all-day schools, which makes it difficult for caterers to maintain a balance between providing enough food and avoiding food waste. Online pre-orders with clear deadlines can help here, as they ensure reliable quantities. Digital solutions also make it possible to accommodate changes at short notice, allowing caterers to work flexibly while conserving resources.
Focus on billing and quality
But it’s not just the planning that is becoming more complex, so is the billing. At some schools, there are numerous families who use benefits from the education and participation package (BuT). In addition, there are sometimes cost sharing and subsidies from school authorities, municipalities and federal states or from funding programs. This means additional administrative work for schools and caterers. Digital billing systems can simplify this process considerably: Grants, discounts or BuT subsidies are recorded directly and billed transparently. This saves time and at the same time ensures clarity and trust among parents.
In addition to organization and finances, the quality of school meals is also coming to the fore. Above all, good school meals are those that are accepted. Parents and pupils want to have a say in what goes on their plates and expect a certain variety. Online portals can build a bridge here: satisfaction surveys or preferred dishes can be easily integrated. For caterers, this results in direct feedback that enables continuous improvement of the offer.
Integration into everyday school life
Last but not least, integration into everyday school life is an important aspect. Catering is only one part of all-day operations, but it must interact seamlessly with other organizational processes. Schools need solutions that combine meal ordering, billing and administrative tasks. Providers such as ParentPay offer interfaces for this and help to establish catering as an integrated part of the all-day operation instead of viewing it as an isolated task.
Practical tips for caterers
- Testing digital systems at an early stage: Small pilot projects with selected schools help to test processes and get parents used to digital ordering and billing methods.
- Plan for flexibility: Systems should allow for last-minute cancelations or changes in order to be able to react to cases of illness or special days.
- Simplify billing: Automated BuT processing reduces administrative work and ensures greater fairness and transparency.
- Take feedback seriously: Use regular digital surveys or evaluation functions to continuously increase quality and acceptance.
- Involve schools as partners: Coordinate joint processes with school management and administration so that catering becomes part of a smooth all-day organization.
Conclusion
The all-day requirement from 2026 is both a challenge and an opportunity for caterers. As demand increases, so do expectations of reliability, quality and efficiency. Digital solutions such as those from ParentPay Germany can help overcome organizational hurdles, conserve resources and at the same time increase the satisfaction of schools, parents and pupils.
The following applies to caterers: those who rely on digital ordering and billing systems at an early stage will gain a competitive advantage. Take your chance and get in touch with us to start digitizing your processes.